Garment-supporter.



No. 758,201; PATENTED APR. 26,1904.

' F. S.BOEDBPELD. V

GARMENT SIUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

T E Noam: was my. PHOYO-UTKQ. Wnsumawu. o. c-

Patented April 26, 1904.

i UNiTED STATES; PAT NT OFFICE.

" is required.

FRANZ S. BOEDEFELD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF O HA F 0 7 FORNIA.

WILLIAM L. SPENCER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALI- GARMENT-SUPPOHTER.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,201, dated April 26, 1904.

' Application fins Jime 2,1903. Seria1No.15 9,73l. (No model.)

To all ruhmn it may concern.-

fornia, have invented an Improvement in Garment-Sup porters; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same;

My invention porting hose and other garments." It is also applicable to corsets and may be-used for all purposes where a garmentsupporting device It consists, essentially, of a loop or link having a coating of yieldingmaterial,the upper ends of said loop being made divergent and slidable in a corresponding guide, so that when tension is brought upon the article supported by the loop it will also act to contract the loop and cause it to bind upon thebutton or part with which it is connected.

,. I It also comprises a means for locking the loop in itsextended position and in certain details of construction which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-' Figure 1 is a view of one form of the loop or link with its divergent arms and the section of the part in which it is slidable. Fig. 1 shows loop drawn out and locked. Fig. 2 is'aview showing the different shapes of the loop. Fig. 3 shows loop over button and drawnout. Fig. 4; shows side view of loop and button. I,

It is the object of my invention to provide an automatically-closable loop or link which can be easily applied to the button or fasten.- ing when in its open condition and is closable to compress the garment upon the button by the strain or pull which is brought upon the parts.

As shown in the drawings, A represents a relates to a device for sup- The device is made of steel or other spring metal, the tendency of which is to normally open theloop for the reception of the button or stud over which the fabric is stretched.

L is a device for the attachment to the other part'with which the garment or portion just described-is, to beconnected. Thus, if the device is intended as a hose-supporter, the fabric orv material may be folded about the button 5, and the latter being then inserted or drawn into the loop A will compress the fabric around the shank of the button and between it and the sides of the loop with sufiicient pressure to hold the material in place. From the upper part of the portion 4 a connection is made with the corset or other point of support. The lower portion of the part i may have closed convergent edges, as shown at 6; but Whether closed or open on the edges it has a slot or opening in the bottom through which the narrower portion of the divergent arms 3 pass, the arms extending up within this part. The angle of divergence of the arms is such that with the elasticity of the material the loop A will normally be drawn up, so that the narrowest portion at the base of the diverging arms 3 will normally lie in the narrowest portion of the casing 4. In this position the loop A will be opened at its widest and the button 5 with the enveloping material may be inserted directly into the opening, as shown in Fig. 2, or it may be inserted into the wider portion 2, as shown in Fig. .1, andtheshank afterward moved down into the narrow portion of the loopA.

hen the connection is made between the casing 4 and the part fromv which it is to be supported, the downward pull upon the loop A draws the diverging arms 3 downward into the narrower portion of the casing, and they are correspondingly compressed together, the loop being also closed about the shank of the button, so as to make a firm attachment for that portion of the garment which is held by the button. Whenever the strain upon the parts is released, the elasticity of the shank is suflicient to cause it to slide upward in the casing 4 and correspondingly open, so that it when the delicate fabric is gripped around the shank of the button it adheres to the rubber covering and does not yield or move freely. The tendency of this adherence is to tear the fabric if it is delicate, as in open-work stockings and the like.v

In my invention I make thebutton 5 with a smooth metallic surface over which the fabric is easily slidable, and the loop A, I cover with a coating of rubber or equivalent elastic material, as at 7. The adherence of the fabric is therefore transferred from the button to the loop, and While the fabric is thus held firmly about the shank of the button with little or no tendency to slip the portion of the fabric which covers the button will slide easily and greatly reduce the tendency to cut or tear.

If it is found desirable to lock the device in its closed position, it may be effected by means of grooves or notches formed in the upper ends of the arms 3, as shown at 8. These notches are designed to engage with the lower edges of the opening in the casing 6,through which the device is slidable, so that when it has been drawn down to the position to firmly clamp the button and fabric these notches will engage with the edges and lock the device in this position. To release it, it is only necessary to press upon the sides of the springloop and disengage the notches, when the device will slide up to its normal position and leave the button free to be removed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a garment-supporting attachment the combination with a casing having an opening, of a metallic loop having divergent arms engaging the walls of said opening said loop made of spring metal and the angle of divergence of the arms being such that the loop will recede when the strain upon the parts is released.

2. In a garment-supporting attachment the combination with a casing having a guideopening in one of its walls, of a loop slidable relative to the casing and projecting through said opening said loop having elastic arms engaging the walls of the opening and capable of expanding to automatically retract the loop relative to the casing when the strain upon the parts is released.

3. In a garment-supporting attachment the combination with a button or stud having a shank, of a hollow casing having a guide-opening in one of its walls, and a loop adapted to receive the head of the button and adapted to compress the shank thereof said loop having diverging spring-arms slidably engaging the 1 walls of said opening and adapted, when the loop is detached from the button, to automatically retract the loop said arms receding within the casing, substantially as described.

4. In a garment-supporting attachment and in combination with a button or stud having a shank, a casing having a guide-opening in one of its walls, and a loop normally retracted relative to the casing and having divergent arms engaging the walls of the opening and contractible thereby to close the loop and grip the shank of the button when the loop is drawn out and receives said button, said arms of elastic material capable of expansion to automatically retract the loop relative to the casing when the strain upon the loop is released.

5. In a garment-supporting attachment the combination with a casing having a guideopening, of a loop having divergent springarms provided with latching means for engaging the walls of the opening when the loop is drawn outward relative to the casing and the loop is closed, said arms expanding and automatically retracting the loop relative to the casing when the latching means are disengaged from the walls of the opening in the casing and the strain upon the parts is released.

6. In a garment-supporting attachment the combination of a smooth-surfaced button over which the fabric is stretched, said button having a shank, a loop having a covering of yielding material said loop having spring-arms diverging outwardly, and a casing having a guide-opening for the loop said arms slidable relative to the walls of the opening and automatically retracting the loop and opening the same when the strain upon the parts is released said arms being retracted by the walls of the opening andthe loop closed to grip the fabric when said loop is drawn outwardly relative to the casing.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANZ S. BOEDEFELD. Witnesses S. H. NOURSE, JEssIE G. BRoDIn. 

